This morning, Fr. Mike Schmitz gave a talk to teens who been to at least one other Steubenville conference before this weekend, encouraging them to stay rooted in their relationship with Jesus. Among other things, he shared ~ Read more »

It is a beautiful thing to see thousands of teens reverently receiving the Eucharist on a Saturday morning; hundreds of them received from the holy hands of Bishop George Lucas & Bishop Robert Hermann! Sweet video here!

After a beautiful time of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the students are now moving into small group discussion time - where they will be for around 45 minutes or so! Among other things, they will be sharing on these questions –

What have you been putting your trust in this year?

Are there any “storms” that you are going through right now?

In what ways do you feel Jesus is absent from your life?

What causes you to take your eyes off of Jesus?

Pretty good questions, don't you think? Maybe you could ask yourself these questions before you fall asleep tonight...and that way, you can REALLY be a part of this awesome event by opening up your heart to God!

Our keynote speaker tonight was Jackie Francois. She encouraged us to reflect upon Matthew 14:22-33, noting that Peter only started to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus. However, when he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ – Jesus did that. He wants to save us from our sin and selfishness and free us to live a life fully committed to Him. You can follow Jackie on Twitter

Adam Bitter is a director of music at Incarnate Word Parish in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2006 he released his first album, a collection of musical styles from Celtic folk to rock that allow listeners to experience Adam’s passion for Jesus Christ. His newest release, Adam Bitter Live at the Upper Room, captures the sound of hundreds of youth worshiping God at his parish’s evening prayer service. For more information, visit www.adambitter.com and you can follow him on Twitter

One of Adam's most popular songs, which we will be singing this weekend, is called "Hold My Hand" and you can listen to it here by clicking play on the built in audio player!

The setup crews are already in Springfield, and they are working hard. This sound board is awesome, and will be used not only to make sure you hear the music and the talks, but it will also be used to record the live CD which you will be able to purchase after the conferences are completed. The venue looks so empty...but in two days it will be filled with the thousands of enthusiastic teens and adults! We can't wait!

Our host for this coming weekend's youth conference is Paul George. He is a husband, father, and follower of Jesus. He and his wife, Gretchen, have been full-time missionaries serving the mission of Jesus Christ and his Church for the past 16 years. A passionate believer and communicator of the Gospel, Paul has traveled the world proclaiming God’s love and freedom as a parish youth minister, diocesan director, and full-time evangelist. He holds a master’s degree in theological studies from the University of Dallas. Paul co-founded and directs ADORE ministries, a missionary organization that calls all people to worship God with their entire lives. He also directs the diocesan Offices of Evangelization and Young Adult Ministry in his home of Houma, Louisiana, where he resides with his wife and four children, Marie, Jacob, Sarah, and Clare. You can follow Paul on Twitter & check out his ministry website